Tour vs. Independent Travel, The Debate Continues

I was doing fine with this independent travel thing until I started looking more in-depth at the prices of things. And, to be honest, the aggravation of planning my own logistics. One suggestion I heard made sense: do part via tour, and part on my own, after I'd gotten used to the whole being-in-Europe thing. Yes, I'd end up with a bunch of blue-haired ol' ladies, but I'd also not be shelling out $200-400 a night for a hotel room and wouldn't be looking over my shoulder every g-d minute watching for pickpockets. Mind you, that might happen anyway, but a) this is my first trip to Europe, and b) I'd be on my own. No, I don't play well with others, but I also don't do languages so well, either. A friend asked me if I wanted to have a pre-canned or "authentic" experience. A book noted that if I just wanted to do a tour, I'd be better off just going to Epcot and saving myself the trouble.

So mostly I'm feeling lazy, paranoid, and a tad overwhelmed. My family members' insistence that I avoid a travel agent doesn't help. And if I go back to the pre-canned tour idea, I could just as well do a cruise on the Med, and save myself the aggravation of rail and buses. Finish that off with a few days in Dublin, and call it a done deal. Maybe I could compromise and find a history-focused tour, since I'm so gung-ho to broaden my education. Hmf.

The debate continues.